The Galactic Beast
by Kofukuna Shi no Kami
Summary: Beast Boy was not found by the Doom Patrol after he ran away from his abusive uncle, Nicholas Galtry. Instead, he was found by a certain inventor, who had been intrigued by his 'abilities'. A certain Galvan inventor. And while Garfield Mark Logan doesn't know much, there is one thing he is certain of. He is no hero.
1. Chapter 1

**The Galactic Beast**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Ben 10**

* * *

Garfield ran as fast as his legs could carry him, stumbling over the uneven pavement, as he tried to get as far as he could from the large mansion behind him. The young boy was barefoot, but that didn't serve as much of a problem for him. His green eyes were open wide, with fear and panic reflected within them.

He only wore a pair of purple shorts, which seemed to be torn up and worn down. His chest was naked, and was a bright green in color. On the skin were splashes of red, evidently blood. The same blood seemed to be dripping from his chin, and covered his entire mouth. The boy paid it no mind, and instead continued to run as fast as he could, which was surprisingly fast. He was going at an incredible speed, one which could even be considered inhumane. The run lasted for just over twenty minutes, after which the boy. collapsed to the ground, exhaustion overtaking every other sense of his. He had not realized it, but he had left the mansion very far behind, and had almost ran twenty miles away from it. The green skinned preteen saw that he was in a large clearing, and he could barely see the road from where he stood. Around him stood multiple trees, forming a small grove.

Garfield had always loved nature. Every aspect of it amazed him. It wasn't surprising if one grew up in Africa with parents who studied nature and the animal kingdom for their career, and he had many fond memories of spending time in the large plains in Africa, surrounded by animals and plants both.

But at this moment, the trees gave him no solace. His mind was focused on one thing and one thing alone. The boy looked down to his right hand, and stared at the dry blood coating it. He grew even more stressed looking at it, only for the strangest phenomenon to occur. His hand warped into a much larger paw, with four clawed fingers, and grew to a larger size. Garfield screamed in fear, causing the transformation to revert, almost as if it could sense his fear.

The boy cradled his arm worriedly, as tears began to flow down his face. He felt a flood of fear and hatred flowing through him, as he realized what he had done. The blood on his hands was not a mistake. Garfield had killed a man. He had killed his uncle, Nicholas Galtry.

Garfield did not feel any remorse for having killed the man. His uncle was a horrid, vile and cruel man. He had taken up custody of the boy when he was only eight, following the death of his parents. But the man had not done so out of any concern for his wellbeing. Nicholas had planned on using Garfield as a way of getting to all of the money that his parents had saved up for the boy. The moment Garfield had moved in to the house, he was treated terribly. His uncle had often beaten him up, while starving him on end, only giving him enough food for him to stay alive. At least Nicholas knew he had to keep the boy alive until he was eighteen if he wanted his money.

Garfield had been forced to live like that for almost two months. It was then that the entire world changed for the boy. It was when he had his first transformation.

It hadn't been expected by his uncle, who had merely entered the boy's room to whip him before going to bed himself. After the first ten lashes, Garfield had known he couldn't take any more, but his uncle wasn't willing to offer any mercy. And, in a moment of pure agony and desperation, the boy changed into a monkey, a green monkey, the reflection of which he could see in the wardrobe mirror in front of him.

As soon as he transformed, he felt a strong sense of relief run through his body, as he felt the wounds on his back healing. He turned around to look at his uncle who had stopped his whipping to gawk at him. Garfield, filled with sudden courage at the new development, tried to dash away from his uncle, hoping to avoid further punishment. But the man was quick to snap out of his stupor, and caught the small monkey in his arms, not willing to let go.

Things changed after that. Garfield was moved from his room into a large metal cage in the basement of the mansion. For almost a month, he was not visited by his uncle. The man would continue to give him the bare minimum of food needed to stay alive, but did not interact with him in any way other than that. The boy grew to like this, but unfortunately for him, it only lasted for a month.

One day his uncle entered the basement, followed by a group of men, all of whom carried a lot of heavy equipment. They soon placed a collar and handcuffs onto the boy, despite his resistance. The green skinned child had then attempted to get out of the cuffs by turning into a monkey once again, only to be surprised as the cuffs shrank with his wrists, resizing themselves to keep him captive. He had then been shocked by the collar, and the only thing he saw before passing out was the smirk on his uncle's face as he held down a button on a small switch in his hand.

His stay with his uncle had only grown progressively worse. The man continued his mistreatment of the child, while also beginning a new form of torture. Nicholas believed that he could turn into even more animals, and decided that putting the boy in contact with DNA from other creatures would allow him to change into them.

To the man's credit, he had been correct with this theory. At least partially. As it were, Garfield needed to have the urgency and desire to transform as well as the DNA of the sample creature. So, Nicholas proceeded to push his nephew into dangerous and stressful situations to force his hand. And this worked.

But that did not change the misery and agony he put Garfield through in the process. The boy had been tossed off of the roof of the mansion every day for a complete week, and he was sure he had broken every bone in his body at least twice before he was finally able to turn into a peregrine falcon and take flight before colliding with the ground. The following month, he would have his head repeatedly held under water until he fainted, which led to the eventual transformation into a fish. And in this way, Nicholas was able to have the boy turn into almost any species on the planet, and the one which he left out, the boy would discover in his own time. Focusing on his new powers of transformation were the boy's only hobby, his only activity at the Galtry Mansion.

His uncle continued his regular beatings of the preteen without any mercy. But one thing that Garfield discovered was that upon having unlocked his new powers, there were multiple changes that had taken place in his very own body as well. He was able to hear thousands of times better, and the same could be said for his other senses. He had grown much more resistant to physical punishment, and had also gained a massive healing factor. Any injury he sustained would vanish quickly, and it would only leave a scar if it was more lethal.

Unfortunately, there was worse to come, for almost six months later, the man began to host shows, where people would pay massive amounts of money to watch a green human who could change into any species which was requested by the audience. Galtry raked in cash by the millions, forcing the boy to entertain the guests. At first, he had been unwilling to do so, but a week of being starved and whipped was enough to change his mind. Almost a month after these 'shows' began, Galtry came up with a name for his living goldmine. Beast Boy.

The boy was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a whirring sound, which he was only able to catch due to his enhanced senses. It sounded similar to a helicopter's rotor, but it seemed much more powerful.

Garfield got up from under the tree, and looked around himself. He couldn't see anything close by, so that meant the source was still considerably far away. A sudden fear gripped his heart. What if it was the authorities coming for him? He doubted it would take them long to find the dead body of Nicholas Galtry, as the man had planned one of his shows tonight, and the audience would soon be arriving.

The young Logan was about to start running away once more, when a large spaceship materialized in front of him. It had seemingly popped out of nowhere, and stood menacingly, the hum of its engines filling his ears.

The ship was large but streamlined, and most of it seemed to be pitch black. The only exception was the series of neon green lines running across the structure. Garfield was perplexed by the ship, which seemed to lower itself onto the ground, before allowing its hum to die down.

The boy hid behind one of the trees, cautiously peering over his shoulder at the strange vehicle. He briefly considered running away by turning into a small bird or a critter, but that idea was immediately banished from his mind as he recalled the blood which still covered his body. That had been the result of his last transformation. And he was unwilling to take any such risk again.

He looked back to the spaceship, just as its lower hatch opened up. The hatch lowered itself, and out climbed a small creature. Garfield nearly fell forward in surprise. The creature was unlike anything he had ever seen, and it seemed to be wearing clothes of some sort. To add to the strangeness of the situation, it was only six inches tall.

A Galvan walked down the ramp from the ship, annoyance evident on his face, as he held up a small radar in his hand. His red eyes squinted with frustration, as he slammed the device onto the ground, cursing under his breath.

"Blasted second-grade technology, can't do anything right. Now how the hell am I supposed to find the damned genetic metamorph on this dump of a planet. The signal just had to die as soon as I entered the atmosphere." The bipedal animal walked onto the ground before looking around himself to scout the area.

Garfield watched the walking frog pacing the clearing, and was growing more confused regarding what was going on. But the moment it began to speak, the boy fell down to the ground, landing in the vision of the creature. He couldn't help his own shock at hearing a frog actually talk.

The Galvan rounded upon the origin of the sound, drawing a small contraption from his waist, and pointing it at the boy menacingly. "Who are you?!"

The green skinned preteen, didn't respond, and instead tried to make a dash for it, only to freeze up as he felt a ring of electricity run around his body. The ring only seemed to prevent him from moving, rather than causing him any actual pain. He continued to struggle for a few seconds, before he felt himself being pulled back toward the ship.

Albedo smirked as he studied the specimen he had captured. It matched the description of the genetic metamorph he had been given by Azmuth. The most obvious signs were the distinct scents of more than a hundred animals which he could detect from the boy, along with his green complexion, compared to the usual shades which humans tended to be. He couldn't help but grow gleeful at his rapid success. Perhaps he had acted a bit too early in growing angry at the radar. 'Well, spilt garvatron and all that.'

The Galvan used the immobilizing ray to levitate the boy into his ship, levitating him into the prisoner's hold. He had been rather impressed with the fact that the child had continued attempting to escape, no matter how futile it was. He almost felt upset that the boy would not live for too long.

By the time the immobilizing ray was turned off, Garfield was already in his hold, and the door had been tightly sealed. He immediately began pounding in the glass door, but despite its looks, it was more than strong enough to hold up against his enhanced strength. Albedo merely chuckled at the desperation exhibited by his prisoner. He then pressed a red button next to the glass door, before smirking at the boy once more. He then began to wave at the boy, confusing the green skinned preteen.

The Logan boy grew very worried at the actions of his strange kidnapper, as he noticed a funny-smelling gas being flooded into the room. His vision began to blur, and he soon dropped forward, leaning on the glass. He slid down to the floor, unconscious before his head even hit the ground.

Albedo stayed there for another minute to ensure that the being was knocked out. After having satisfied that the boy was no longer a threat, the red-eyed Galvan walked into the cockpit, before preparing to take off. The engine soon hummed back to life, and the ship gradually floated off of the ground. As the spaceship began to exit the atmosphere, the only thought which remained on the alien's mind was how proud his master would be upon his success. 'This time I'm sure Azmuth will reward me greatly.' The thoughts of the Galvan soon turned into a series of daydreams regarding the glory and fame he would receive as Azmuth's protégé.

* * *

It was after a very long flight of almost seven Terranean cycles that Albedo saw his home planet. Galvan Prime. It stood out amongst the void of outer space, but that as to be expected from the planet whose inhabitants were the most intelligent creatures in the all twelve universes. The journey itself had been extremely uneventful. The metamorph was still unconscious, due to the potent drug Albedo had administered. And to add to that, the ship's impenetrable shielding and cloaking systems meant that there hadn't been any interaction with any other space-goers.

A small smile stretched across the Galvan's face, as the ship began its descent into familiar territory. He could practically taste the approval of his master. He had successfully captured the creature that would lead to massive breakthroughs in Azmuth's research regarding the Omnitrix. Albedo knew he would go down in history for his own contribution to the research.

But that was not his true objective. He knew that Azmuth was too old to properly wield the Omnitrix or its powers, and the Galvan knew that himself. Azmuth would require an heir, a champion, upon whom he would bestow the ability to use the Omnitrix. And Albedo knew he was the best candidate for the job. His success in capturing the genetic metamorph would only cement that fact.

Albedo guided the ship to an empty plain, devoid of any signs of life. He landed the ship in the middle of the dusty plain, before turning off the engine. The part of the plain he had landed upon jerked into motion, and began to lower itself under the ground. The ship sank down into a huge cavern, which was lit up by a series of fluorescent neon green lights, which hung from the ceiling. Albedo's eyes had no trouble adjusting to the lack of light within the room, having grown accustomed to it after having spend weeks on end residing within the bunker. It was a gigantic workshop, hidden from the knowledge of the public, made for the benefit of Azmuth's more….secretive projects. The ship was soon parked in a corner, and the platform had once again risen to the ceiling, once again concealing the hideout.

Albedo stepped out of the ship, taking a moment to breathe in the scent of his home planet. Add to that his imminent glory, and he could not have been more pleased.

A weary voice called out from behind him, drawing his attention to the other side of the laboratory. "I see you have arrived, Albedo. I hope your mission was a success."

Albedo smirked once more at the sight of his master. Azmuth was a wizened Galvan, his eyes a bright green, and he wore robes of a similar shade. He moved with a speed which one could consider surprising for his age, which would be considered old even by Galvan standards. But despite that, Azmuth presented an aura of prestige and sophistication, one which he had rightly earned, as the single most intelligent being across multiple universes.

"Of course, master. I have captured the genetic metamorph, and he is already sedated and prepared for experimentation." Albedo informed, only for Azmuth to chuckle lightly.

"Experimentation? What would make you believe I would be experimenting upon the metamorph? I only wish to examine him." The older Galvan replied.

Albedo seemed slightly surprised, but brushed it aside. He didn't want to anger Azmuth by questioning him. The inventor was great at his job, but he sure had a bit of an ego. "Well, in any case, the creature is ready."

Azmuth nodded, before walking toward the ship. He stood next to the side of it, looking at a small control panel. He then pressed a few buttons, causing a small platform to drop down from the belly of the ship, upon which lay a sleeping Garfield. Albedo immediately rushed forward, growing infuriated at his mentor's actions. "Why are you releasing him? Now he will wake up soon, and we'll have to deal with him once more." The red-eyed Galvan tried to undo the commands, but Azmuth didn't allow him to come closer to the control panel.

"Albedo." The Galvan spoke with a little more force than before, shocking the apprentice. "It would be impolite of us to not introduce ourselves to our guest. Now please calm yourself, Albedo. He will be waking up shortly, and it will be in our best interest to keep him calm. Both of us have seen that he doesn't have a complete grasp over his abilities at the moment."

Albedo bristled at the warning. "Azmuth, I do not understand what you are doing. We should keep the specimen restrained and do what we need to do. And why do you insist on referring to him as a him? You need to remain objective here."

Azmuth rounded upon the younger Galvan angrily, a slight glare upon his face. "I have stretched my patience with you, Albedo. Please, compose yourself, so that we may talk to the young boy. And I believe it would be best for you to treat him kindly. You are well aware of the things he can do." The words seemed to work, as the frog-like creatures began to walk toward the almost conscious green-skinned boy.

As soon as Garfield opened his eyes, he quickly scanned his surroundings. It was not dark, which was surprising, considering that his uncle always kept the basement dark. When he thought of his uncle, a blur of memories rushed back to him. More specifically, the fact that his uncle was now dead, and by his hand no less. He then continued to recall having ran away from the mansion, and having seen a spaceship. That lead to memories of his subsequent capture, and having been knocked out by the very same frog creature who had captured him. He looked up to the only sources of light in the dark room, to see the green lamps strung overhead. He was confused by the strange choice of color, but he couldn't fault it. Green just happened to be one of his favorite colors. A gravelly shout came from just behind him, and seemed to boom into his ears, causing him to curl up and clamp his hands over his ears.

"It is good to finally meet you." This was all that Azmuth had said. He had said it in a friendly, forthcoming tone, yet it seemed to cause the young boy a lot of agony, as his face contorted into a visage of pain. This momentarily confused the Galvan, but it only took him a second to find the problem.

He reiterated his words, but much more softly this time. His voice was not louder than a whisper. But Garfield understood perfectly, and heard him as if he was talking in a regular voice. He cautiously opened his eyes, which he had closed after the initial yelling. He saw two of the frog creatures standing in front of him, and immediately grew confused. He only remembered the red eyed one. The green eyed one, the one who had spoken, was a newcomer. He looked to them with some curiosity, until he recognized them as his kidnappers. He snarled threateningly at the much smaller creatures, and felt a rush of energy and rage surge through him.

He almost pounced upon them before he heard the green eyed one speak to him. "Please, Mr. Logan, we do not desire violence. We are sorry for our lack of hospitality, but we can rectify that. We only wanted to meet you." This was enough to still his rage, if only temporarily. He calmed himself a little, while glancing between the two miniscule beings with great suspicion.

"Alrig-rgh!" The green skinned boy attempted to say, only to double over once more, as his ears were assaulted by the loud words. As he held his ears, fear began to spread through him. He had been talking in a normal voice. Yet the noise in his ears – the sound of his own voice – was loud enough to give him a sharp headache.

"It seems you have not yet realized it, but you're senses are heightened for the time being. You must lower your voice to a whisper, or risk damaging your ear canals, until we can find a more permanent solution." Garfield regarded the frog creature with some doubt, but knew he didn't have anything to lose by lowering his voice. He then replied, this time in a much lower voice, "Alright, but you need to explain to me why you brought me here."

Azmuth nodded in agreement, but his apprentice was less than to oblige. " How dare you?! You are nothing but extra terrestrial lowlife! The scum of the scum! It is beneath Galvans to interact with creatures like you! You are in no position to negotiate with us, let alone try to make demands!" As the younger Galvan said this, he withdrew a gun from his robes, the very same one he had used to immobilize the young shapeshifter when they were on Earth. The sight of the gun like weapon angered the boy, who snarled once again. But Azmuth was forced to intervene once more, before any violence broke out.

"Albedo! Once again, your behavior appalls me and this juvenile attitude does not befit you. Especially not when speaking with the heir of my technology."

"Well, Azmuth, I just don't see why – wait what did you just say?! YOUR HEIR?! How can that imbecilic creature replace me as the one and only champion of the Omnitrix!" The red eyed alien exclaimed, fury building within his eyes. "I've poured my life into your research and I didn't do it to be replaced by some metamorph we took in to experiment on!"

A look of surprise came over the inventor's face as he looked at his assistant. He attempted to speak, but for some reason he was simply unable to speak. "I-I apologize, Albedo, but I would never give my technology to another Galvan. I never thought that you wanted the Omnitrix. I always believed you merely wanted to help me with my discoveries, not that you wanted to wield the Omnitrix."

A frustrated look came upon Albedo's face, as it almost seemed to change shades with rage. He waved the gun in his hand at the two others, causing Garfield to flinch slightly, while Azmuth held his footing. " How could you expect me to not want to wield the Omnitrix?! I saw it being created! I saw the potential it has! It makes one nigh invincible, almost omnipotent. Any person thinking straight would desire that! I desire that, Azmuth! You made me grow to desire it. And now, I will have it!"

It was at this point that the younger Galvan pointed his gun at the duo standing opposite him, as a malicious grin took over his face. He pulled the trigger, and a shockwave paralyzed both Garfield and Azmuth.

As the two tried to struggle, Albedo turned up the power on the gun. "Sorry Azmuth, but you should know better than to betray the only person who knows all about your research." With those words, the gun was turned to full power.

A sudden increase in the voltage proved to be too much for Gardield, as he felt himself blacking out. He slumped to the floor, as he lost all control over his senses.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hello gals and guys, and before you get angry, I just wanna say I'm working on the next chapter of The Tales Of A Trainer, and The Crystal Clear Connection. So this is not interfering with that too much.**

**I was just recently watching the original Teen Titans and reading some comics, when this idea hit me, and I have been working on this ever since. And voila!**

**Now I have a bit of an idea regarding where I'm going with this story, but nothing concrete. It will be Beast Boy centric, because he's my favourite Titan, while also being rather underrated. Especially in that despicable TT Go reboot. God, I hate that show.**

**So, Azmuth might have been a little OOC, I know, but there is an explanation for that. It will be present in the next chapter.**

**Well, this is just another can of worms, isn't it. I'm sure this is gonna be fun! Now that's a wrap. See you guys with the next post. If you have any questions or queries, you can PM or review. I hope you enjoy this prologue-esque chapter.**

**PS: I am shocked by how underwhelming the RKS fanbase is. If any of you like Rainbow Kitten Surprise, please hit me up. Would love to talk, because at the moment I only know one other person who likes this amazing band!**

Peace Out

Kofukuna Shi No Kami


	2. Chapter 2

**The Galactic Beast**

**Disclaimer : I do not own Teen Titans or Ben 10**

* * *

Garfield came to ten minutes after Albedo had made his escape, and felt a strong déjà vu hit him upon waking up in the bunker in the darkness for a second instance. He sat up, still slightly sluggish, and looked around, noticing that the spaceship he had arrived in was missing. He rose to his feet, and felt himself being rejuvenated, as the sluggishness wore off. As his mind caught up with him, he recalled the second frog alien who had been present. The one who had told him to speak softly, so as to not damage his hearing.

The green skinned boy cast a cursory glance around the floor, and spotted the creature lying just a few feet away from where he stood. He walked toward him, and inspected him, trying to judge whether he was a threat or not. He had a strange feeling in his gut that told him he could trust this one more so than the other, and found himself trusting his instincts. He kneeled down, and picked up the Galvan, before giving him a light shake. It was just strong enough to awaken the unconscious alien, who struggled to stand upright when Garfield placed him back on the floor. It seemed that he was also suffering from the same sluggishness that the boy had been inflicted with.

"Hey, old man. I need an explanation, starting with where I am, and why you people brought me here." He stated, being mindful enough to keep his voice low, both to not alarm the dazed alien, and for the sake of his own ears. He contemplated asking the creature what it was, but chose not to. He knew that sort of question could be really rude from personal experience.

The alien took a minute to gather himself, before straightening out his robes, patting off some dust as he did so. "Well, you are on Galvan Prime, my home planet. And I have brought you here to declare you the champion of my Omnitrix. Unfortunately, it seems a wrench has been thrown into my plans by Albedo. Nonetheless, you will still be the most worthy and compatible specimen for the Omnitrix, so we must proceed immediately."

The Galvan's voice grew urgent, as he began walking toward the laboratory portion of the hideout. However, Garfield refused to follow. When the creature looked back to see why this was, Garfield spoke to him. "That explanation doesn't help. I mean, it just makes me have more questions. Why am I not on Earth? Where is this different planet? Who is Albedo? And what is an Omnitrix, and why should I be the champion of one? I mean, for someone who says he's really smart, you don't explain things really well." The boy concluded, allowing a bit of snarkiness into his tone. He was growing increasingly impatient and infuriated with the small creature. And while he knew he didn't have such a short temper most of the time, being kidnapped and drugged did that to a person.

Azmuth didn't seem at all affected by the child's words, but decided to attend to his queries. He knew that he wasn't in the right here, and he didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with his heir. "If you must know, you were brought here by my command, as it would be unwise to go about transporting a Level 20 tech device. Imagine the hassle, the security we would have to provide. It was just simply easier for you to come here."

Upon seeing that the boy still seemed just as confused as he was previously, the Galvan elaborated. "The Omnitrix is a Level 20 piece of technology. In comparison, most of Earth is comprised of Level 2 technology. That sort of technology is desired by many people across the galaxies, and not all of them have the best of intentions for it. That is precisely why I need a champion for it, someone who I can give it to, knowing that they can not only use it to for the best cause, but that they can also protect it from others. The Omnitrix is a very powerful weapon, in fact, perhaps one of the most powerful in the world. Therefore, I cannot hand it over to just anyone."

Garfield seemed to understand most of what the guy was saying, but it just raised another question for him. "But if you need someone you can really trust, why are you choosing me? I mean, you don't even know me."

"Well, let's just call it a leap of faith." The Galvan said. The green skinned human was sure there was more behind it, but before he could ask, Azmuth continued. "Now, to answer your question regarding Albedo. Albedo was my apprentice, the very one who brought you here. And, the one who shocked us into unconsciousness, before stealing my ship." The Galvan seemed to age many years as he said this, as his forehead grew wrinkled. "The loss of the ship is not of much significance, but the loss of an apprentice is more taxing. Not only do I find myself betrayed, I am also now at a very real risk of being attacked. Albedo is no doubt angry at me, but he is also very intelligent. He knows how valuable the knowledge of the Omnitrix's existence is, and he will use that to our disadvantage. We must remain prepared against any such offense."

At this point, Garfield felt it necessary to interject. "What do you mean by 'we'? I don't want to have anything to do with this. I didn't ask to be the champion of the Omni-whatever, and I don't want to be the one using that sort of weaponry. If you knew me at all, you wouldn't trust me with a taser, let alone something that dangerous!" The boy grew more worked up with every word, as he glared at the Galvan, tears welling up in his eyes. "I'm sorry, but I'm not who you think I am. I can't be a champion for anything."

Azmuth looked at the boy with some compassion, although one could barely see it through his icy eyes. "If this is about the incident with your uncle, then believe me, that is a matter of merit rather than disqualification."

Garfield's eyes flew wide open, as he stared at the Galvan, his jaw swinging open. "H-How the hell do you kn-know about my uncle?" He said, although it came out as little more than a minute whisper.

The older being maintained his grave expression as he responded. "Yes, I am aware of that particular incident. I picked you as my heir, Garfield Mark Logan, as my successor, and I did it after great deliberation. You are indeed worthy of the Omnitrix, dear Garfield. You just don't seem to see it."

The boy's eyebrows furrowed, as he glared at the ground. He gritted out a response, grinding his teeth as he spoke. "How can you say that? I, I killed a man. It wasn't a mistake. I did it myself. And I don't regret it. That makes me a horrible person, and no horrible person can be a hero." He explained, growing further depressed.

Azmuth sighed. He was aware that killing someone was not a small deal, but he required his champion to grow from this experience. Protecting the Omnitrix was not an easy task, and neither would it be bloodless. "Garfield, what you did was not horrible. It was justice. Your uncle was a horrid human being, and what he did was what earned him his end. You need to understand that I do not want you to be a hero. I need you to be a champion, and that will include having to get your hands dirty. What you need to make sure of is that you do not kill without reason. I do not need a hero or a police officer, I need someone who can end galactic threats of the likes of Vilgax, on a more permanent basis. No champion can remain innocent. Had I wanted a hero, I would have gone to the Plumbers." The Galvan allowed a small smile to grace his face as he looked to his successor. "But I know you are the best choice I could have made. You are being given the greatest abilities in the universe, yet you still doubt yourself of being capable of wielding them. That doubt, is what will make you accountable to yourself, and that will keep you in check."

The boy was still doubtful that he should wield the Omnitrix, but he realized that the froglike alien's words were correct. He might not trust himself with the Omnitrix, but perhaps that was why he was being given it. And a part of him, albeit a small part, believed getting the Omnitrix would be fair karma after the horrible hand he had been dealt by life for the past couple of years.

"There is another thing, however, which makes you a candidate for the possession of the Omnitrix," The Galvan continued, drawing the attention of the green skinned human. "You are a genetic metamorph. Your natural ability to shift between various forms based upon DNA analysis mean you are the best possible wielder for the Omnitrix. Your genetic ability to morph allows you to cooperate with the device when shifting forms, and the device would act as a DNA bank for you, which would provide you with a sample of whatever creature you wish to transform into, and be completely adapted to acting as that creature. And due to you being a genetic metamorph, you will retain the ability to turn into whatever you have previously transformed into, even without the Omnitrix."

Garfield was a bit lost with the older creature's words, but he understood the gist of what he meant. It sounded like the Omnitrix would basically help him with his animal transformations. And as he allowed himself to mull over the words of the Galvan, he found himself agreeing with him. He knew that murder was a crime, but he was sure so were the acts of abusing and torturing a child. He didn't regret killing his uncle, because he knew his uncle was not an innocent person. And he knew that he might have to do the same for others. Others might not see it the same way. Heck, most others would think 'live and let live'. But most others had never understood the utter rage and helplessness Garfield had been through, or the intensity of the rage he harboured for his bastard of an uncle. He glanced at the frog like creature, drying the tears in his eyes. "Is that why you want me to have it, because I've killed before. Or is it because you think you can trust my judgement?"

Azmuth retained his soft smile, encouraging the boy to become more open to conversation. "I repeat, choosing you is a leap of faith. It is an educated decision, but I cannot know perfectly how you will behave. That is why, I must trust myself to make the correct choice. And that choice is you." Azmuth's smile evolved into a smirk. "And I am more than confident with my choice. But we can only find out once the Omnitrix is in your use. And for that, I need you to help me, young man."

Garfield was still a bit unsure about Azmuth's decision and reasoning, but at this point he was beginning to understand the creature's point. He wanted his invention to be given to someone he trusted, and that someone was him. Another thought that came to his mind was a bit of pride, at being the one who was trusted by Azmuth to wield the Omnitrix. So, he began to follow the alien, who had started walking away once more.

The green skinned boy realized that his companion was rather slow due to his size, so the long stretch of silence, which grew too awkward for the child. "So, I'm sorry I made your assistant leave."

For a moment, Azmuth gave no response, which caused the boy to grow nervous. He was about to apologize for going too far with the conversation, when he received a reply from the other being. "Albedo is a creature of great intelligence, but unfortunately, he is even more cunning and ambitious than he is intelligent. That is the very reason why he could never be the champion of the Omnitrix. He is too sure of himself, and would not accept the idea of being wrong, or being denied anything. It is that aspect of him which turns him from a champion, into a tyrant." The Galvan stopped here momentarily, and Garfield was almost sure he heard him sigh. "I am upset that we were not able to end our relationship on better terms, but I cannot allow that to deter me from my objective." He turned a pointed look toward the Earthling. "To give the Omnitrix to its worthy owner."

Garfield felt a spike of guilt grow in his chest, as he realized the position Albedo must have been in. The young Galvan must have dreamed of being chosen as the one who would have the Omnitrix, only for an Earthling to come and take that away from him. And to add to that, he now put Azmuth in a compromised situation, where he was in danger of being attacked. His stomach seemed to sink, as he realised that him being here had a negative side for Azmuth.

Azmuth stopped in front of a large table, upon which rested a large grey sphere. At first, it seemed like the rolled-up form of an armadillo, which the boy was all too familiar with, having become the animal on multiple occasions. It looked metallic, but Garfield was still wary of touching it. Azmuth leapt up onto the table, before tapping the sphere, causing it to start whirring. The sphere then began to open, as its shell unrolled, revealing the object inside.

Garfield looked into the sphere to see the Omnitrix that was such a huge deal for Azmuth. As he peered into the half open sphere, his eyes grew wide with shock. His jaw fell open, as he stuttered out, "But that's just a watch."

And the boy was correct. Inside the sphere, where the Omnitrix – supposedly the greatest and most dangerous weapon in existence – should have been, was a watch. A large watch, with a humungous dial, and a similarly sized strap. The body of the watch was gray and white, whereas the dial had a green hourglass, with a black background, and was surrounded by four buttons.

Azmuth smirked at the human boy. "Well, looks can be rather deceiving, young man. Now, extend your left wrist towards the Omnitrix, so that it can detect you."

Garfield would have been more wary, but he didn't think the inventor was actually trying to harm him. And in his books, that was good enough for him to trust the man. So, he reached into the container, inching his left wrist towards the watch-like device. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly expecting the watch to do much.

The device jumped into the air, latching onto the boy's wrist before he could do anything. He yanked his arm back, but by that time, the band had already re-sealed itself over his wrist. Garfield began to panic, expressed by him madly flailing his arm around, as if trying to jerk the watch off of his wrist. Instinctively, the boy willed his mind to transform. He wanted to turn into something small, so that the watch would just slip off his arm. His mind went to his thoughts, and without him even realising it, he transformed into the last animal that had crossed his mind.

An armadillo.

Watching his young successor panic was slightly amusing for the Galvan. Of course, he knew he would have to intervene eventually, but he saw no reason to not enjoy this moment. One might think that The First Thinker was completely no-nonsense, but even Azmuth knew that a dash of humour never hurt anyone. Especially not when at the expense of others.

As his form began to shrink down, he was vaguely able to see that the watch shrank with him. That was disconcerting. But what was even more disconcerting was the fact that the watch - for lack of a better word - seeped into his skin, with only the hourglass symbol remaining on his skin. Oddly enough, he didn't feel the watch inside him or anything. Instead, it felt as though it had just disappeared.

The hourglass symbol glided over his skin, which was growing rougher by the second, towards his chest. He couldn't see it directly, but he was sure that it stopped somewhere near the centre, just above his abdomen. Strangely enough, he hadn't felt the symbol moving over his skin. It had been a completely seamless process, which he barely caught happening.

In the end, once the transformation was complete, Garfield grew a little worried. He had expected the watch to simply slide off of his wrist, not to enter his body. He turned his gaze toward the Galvan, who immediately assumed a more serious visage when the boy looked towards him.

"Well, this looks like as good a time as any to explain to you what happens when you transform while wearing the Omnitrix." The Galvan walked to him. "Now, the Omnitrix not only helps you by making the transformations smoother and less painful, but it also turns you into the absolute prime form of whatever species you turn into. As you are right now, you are in the peak physical condition of a dasypodidae. This is true for all of your transformations."

Garfield looked over his animal form, as he realised that Azmuth was right. He truly did feel better than he ever had as an armadillo, feeling stronger, faster and even bigger than before. "That sure is great, but why is the Omnitrix on my chest. And where is the rest of it, for that."

The Galvan chuckled. "The answer to that, Garfield, is in fact simpler than you might expect." Azmuth reached up to the boy's chest plate, before tapping it sharply. Instantly, Garfield turned back into his regular human form, with the Omnitrix pulling back onto his wrist, turning into a watch once more. "The watch is only there to suit your human appearance, and to conceal the Omnitrix. It is still attached to your DNA, even like this. So, when you transform, it moves to another position on your body where it will still be safe, while remaining connected to you. The watch didn't disappear at all. It merely broke down into nanoparticles, before condensing into the Omnitrix symbol over your torso."

A look of understanding dawned upon the changeling's face. He was about to ask his next question when the Omnitrix began to glow.

Both Azmuth and he looked to the watch, whose hourglass had risen up, and was now glowing an ominous green.

_"DNA of subject is compromised. Compromised DNA may be unable to sustain excessive transformation. Permission to modify DNA of subject to best possible form?"_

Garfield would say the weird talking watch freaked him out, but by that point, he was growing used to the Omnitrix doing weird things. But what did worry him was the thing about compromised DNA. He wasn't a biologist by any stretch of the mind, but he had heard his parents talk about the stuff just enough to know that shouldn't be a good thing. He cast a pointed glance to the Galvan, seeking answers.

The creature only grimaced slightly, allowing his shoulders to slump with defeat. "I guess I would have been too lucky if you had avoided all DNA damage, so I don't know why I had been hoping for that. But still, it is not exactly a very difficult thing to deal with."

Garfield only seemed to grow more anxious, as the Galvan pressed on with his explanation. "As I had expected, your regular shifts between different animal states have taken a toll upon your body. Of course, this sort of thing does not exactly express its way through very obvious symptoms. But when the Omnitrix scanned your DNA to fix you in as its owner, it detected the damage.

Now, you can still live with damage. Of course, you probably wouldn't make it past thirty Earth years, but you would at the very least live. But using the Omnitrix alongside this would definitely result in harm. And repeated use would mean disaster. So, the Omnitrix has offered a solution to that problem. It can fix the DNA that has grown damaged within your system ever since the Sakutia virus took root."

Azmuth stopped there, and it took Garfield a moment to realize that the Galvan wanted his input on the matter. He could understand why. It was his DNA after all. "So, what would happen to me, if the Omnitirx healed me? Would it change me?"

"It will only make it so that even when you change forms, your default form's DNA, as a human being, is not affected by the transformations. It ensures that you can revert to being human. Of course, it will also improve your gene to the best of its ability, to provide you with the peak form of a human being." Azmuth's explanation did not sound bad to the boy. In fact, he was sure he didn't want to take the risk of not being able to turn back to a human.

"Okay, I want to do the DNA healing." Garfield confirmed. Azmuth nodded at him. "If that is the case, then so be it. But it is not me who will be doing this."

Azmuth gave a look toward the watch, and Garfield's mind immediately got the message. He pulled his hand up to his face, so that he was looking directly at the dial.

"Omnitrix, heal my DNA."

_"Confirmation accepted, Garfield Mark Logan. Beginning DNA reconstruction."_

The dial of the Omnitrix began to spin rapidly, while continuing to glow green. The glow began to cover his entire body, spreading from his wrist to his arm, and then moving across his entire chest. He felt weird, as if his entire body had fallen asleep somehow.

The glow went away as soon as it had come, receding back into the watch. Garfield looked over himself, and couldn't find much of a difference, if any at all.

_"DNA reconstruction has been completed successfully. DNA is being scanned to bio-lock onto the user."_

"It is now official," Azmuth announced factually. "You are the wielder of the Omnitrix."

Garfield was about to ask more into that, until the Omnitrix beeped once more. But this time, it didn't speak in its normal, digitalized voice. It spoke as Garfield.

_"DNA of Garfield Mark Logan has been registered. His DNA has been downloaded as the user of the Omnitrix."_

"Agh! What the heck was that?! It sounds exactly like me!" The boy yelled out in shock, eyeing the watch with more concern.

Azmuth, however, was not at all surprised. "It sounded exactly like you because that is you. Or your voice at the very least. I programmed the Omnitrix to emulate the voice of its wearer, to make the person more comfortable with it. Furthermore, you'll find that the Omnitrix has now been coded to your DNA and voice. It will respond to you as you wish, and will not respond to anyone else, unless they have the override code." The way Azmuth phrased that made it obvious that he was the only one who had the over ride code, although, to be honest, the boy was alright with that. He looked over his arms once more, and noticed that they were still completely green.

"But I have one more question. I mean, I could already transform into animals. Why would I need the Omnitrix?" Garfield asked, honestly confused by this. He could understand that maybe the ability was to help him shift through his animal forms, but that wasn't a big enough of an ability to make him dangerous. In fact, it barely made him stronger than he already was.

Azmuth grinned, while casually stroking the few whiskers on his chin that formed a beard. "Ah, it seems I have forgotten to mention a few of the Omnitrix's abilities." Judging by his grin, Garfield highly doubted that the Galvan had forgotten anything. "The Omnitrix comes with the DNA samples of just over one million different species from across the Milky Way. One million, nine hundred and ten samples to be exact. All of these are available to the wearer of the Omnitrix, who can transform into the best possible form of those species.

To sum it up, it makes for a person being able to access almost every ability one can possibly imagine. That is the power of the Omnitrix." The Galvan took a moment to pause for dramatic effect. "Obviously, I haven't unlocked every feature of the Omnitrix to you yet. Not due to a lack of trust, but merely because you are ill-prepared to use the weapon to that capacity. So, at the moment you only have ten different aliens available to you."

That drawback did not do much to abate Garfield's excitement. "You have to be joking! I can actually turn into aliens. How does that work?" The boy asked eagerly, raising the watch to his face once again.

"Press the small button below the dial, Garfield." The boy did as he was instructed, causing the dial to light up, and rise upwards slightly. The hourglass markings on the watch also converged, turning into a diamond on the centre of the dial. Within that diamond was a silhouette of a mostly humanoid creature. It was at this point that the Galvan continued his explanation.

"The Omnitrix will display the forms of the various aliens you can turn into, just if you spin the dial. And when you are sure of which form you want to use, press down upon it." By the time Azmuth concluded his explanation, Garfield was already scrolling through the various transformation options on the watch. To be honest, it didn't make much of a difference, as he could barely tell what these forms were. In the end, he picked a random figure, before pressing the dial back down into the watch.

The watch beeped, before Garfield felt himself beginning to change form. It was similar to the sensation he felt whenever he had turned into one of his animal forms, but there was a distinct change. This was not a transformation of his body's own volition, rather it was being forced by the Omnitrix somehow.

His left hand was the first part of him to transform, as a layer of bright green covered his skin. At first, he thought this was just an effect of the Omnitrix being used for a transformation, but he soon realized it wasn't. His body was changing into stone.

The boy began to panic, and even tried to will the change to not happen. It was in vain, as the rest of his body turned to stone, with a gleaming green surface.

By the time the process was complete, the boy had completely turned into some kind of living stone creature. The Omnitrix symbol had once again settled upon his chest.

"Azmuth, what the hell?! The Omnitrix turned me into stone!" The rock-man screamed out in a surprisingly mellow, deep voice for a nine year old. But before he could start panicking or causing any damage to the lab, The First Thinker calmed his successor.

"That actually happens to be a Petrosapien. That was your first official transformation. And you didn't turn into stone. Petrosapiens are actually made of carbon atoms that have been covalently bonded to form a very powerful tetrahedral structure." The Galvan responded, only to see that his young companion hadn't made much of this information. "Their skin is made something like Earth's diamonds." Azmuth concluded in a drab, exasperated tone.

The last sentence caused something to click inside of Garfield, as he realized what the Galvan meant. "So, what you mean to say is that I am, literally, made of diamond." The boy looked at his hands, and was not surprised that he was able to see his face reflected upon the surface that was his skin. His green eyes seemed much colder and sharper than before, almost as if they too had turned into diamond. His solid, angular face split into a smile. "This is amazing! But what was up with that transformation? It felt...weird. It wasn't like my other transformations." The boy looked toward the Galvan again, with a look of confusion.

"That would be the Omnitrix. Usually, you are able to transform because you understand some of the basics for the creatures you wish to turn into. That would be impossible for an alien which you have never seen nor heard of. But that is only needed for the very first transformation. After this point, you'll know enough about the biological nature of Petrosapien form to transform into it yourself. The Omnitrix serves the continued purpose of ensuring that you possess the best possible form and abilities of any species you turn into, along with giving you some instinctual understanding of all of your forms." The Galvan finished, before moving towards his workstation. Garfield continued to follow the alien, now wondering whether he could possibly evolve into his species as well.

"Now, the more important task is yet to come, young Garfield. You may have possession of the Omnitrix, but that does not mean you are too much of a danger to anyone just yet. You are still a child, untrained and considerably weak. As the champion of the Omnitrix, we need to see to it that that fact is rectified."

He reached under his desk and pushed a series of buttons. Just as the boy was about to ask him what he did, the entire underground bunker began to shudder violently. Garfield fell to his side as the entire floor seemed to lurch sideways. _'Wait, it's not going sideways. It's going straight up!'_

Just as that fact registered within his mind, the bunker seemed to accelerate rapidly, and shot up at a much faster rate. When the structure had been underground, the windows along its side had not even been noticeable, but now that they were rising up, light poured into the workshop through the windows. Garfield shielded his eyes from the bright light as he looked away. Having spent so long inside the dark bunker had left him rather unaccustomed to such fierce illumination.

"Why is the workshop flying?" The boy roared over the loud hum of some unseen engine, which was piercing into his ears. Azmuth remained silent for a few seconds, until the workshop finally fell silent. Garfield opened his eyes slowly, and looked out the window, only to feel his heart beat faster with amazement. Somehow, the entire workshop was now floating through space.

"Well, I no longer have my spaceship, and this is my last form of transportation. I also could not stay any longer on Galvan Prime, just in case Albedo tries to act earlier than I may expect. And my home planet isn't a suitable place for your training as a champion, in any case. I do have a friend however, who is well-versed in the sort of training you require. And he owes me a considerable favour, as it is. They should be more than happy to help you. Now, let us discuss more regarding your position as my champion, Garfield."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey gals and guys!**

**It has been a long time, I know, but if you keep up with my other stories, you would probably know that I have really had a rough writing block for quite some time now, which has slowly alleviated. I have begun writing updates for all of my original stories, along with some newer works, and this time I am not obstructed by any pesky writer's block or lack of muse. So, I am doing my best to publish as much as I can here. **

**Though, as a ****forwarding, that will be implemented from the start of July, as at the moment I still have my finals. This is just an exceptional case as I had some free time on my hands, and part of the chapter was already written. So I hope you enjoy it!**

**So, tell me what you think of the chapter. If you like it, follow and favourite, as that also inspires me to write more. Also, if any of you can recommend any good BBRae fics, that would be much appreciated. It is my true OTP, and although I have read quite a few good ones, I have recently felt my love for it come back, full throttle. So that would be great!**

**Next chapter will be showing us much more about Azmuth's plans for Garfield, and don't worry, he will be interacting with DC soon enough.**

**Well, all I can say is I hope you people enjoy, and that's a wrap!**

Peace Out

Kofukuna Shi No Kami


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : I do not own DC characters or Ben 10**

* * *

"We shall be landing in a few hours, Garfield, so I think that should be enough for today's lesson." Azmuth told the boy, as he made a large projected screen shimmer into disappearance behind him. The boy sighed in relief as he got up from his seat and stretched his legs. Azmuth had been insistent that he learn the basics about some of the aliens he could turn into, and though Garfield didn't mind learning more about what was shaping up to be his new life, patiently and quietly sitting there while listening to the Galvan easily grew cumbersome. "Finally! This ship is great and all, don't get me wrong, but I miss Earth so much right now, it's crazy." Garfield didn't want to admit it either, but part of the reason he wanted to be back on earth was also that seeing the world as he knew it would help him along in finally believing the insane happenings of the last two weeks, all of which started with Galtry.

The Galvan cleared his throat, once again taking hold of the boy's attention. "I would like to take a few minutes to discuss who we shall be meeting. His name is J'onn J'onnz, and though he resides on Earth, he is not a human. He is actually one of the few remaining Martians alive." Azmuth looked over to notice the boy's jaw had fallen slack, just as he had expected. "In fact, his Martian DNA is in the Omnitrix at this very moment, even if you can't access it just yet." The additional information was enough to send the boy to the floor.

"I can transform into a Martian? I didn't even know they were real!" The boy exclaimed, once again eyeing his watch with awe. He hadn't been allowed to use the Omnitrix since the duo had begun their journey to Earth, as Azmuth feared the signals from any transformation might be detected by Albedo or someone even worse. They were sitting ducks out in the endless expanse of space.

"Furthermore, J'onn could prove especially helpful to your specific condition. He himself has a very similar capability for shape-shifting, though it is nowhere near as refined as yours, and neither is it as expansive as the Omnitrix. I believe there isn't anyone better suited to training you. He is a guardian of sorts in any case, so his skills are above what you would expect of an ordinary Martian."

Garfield grew very excited at hearing about this J'onnz guy, but another part of him felt a slight question arise at the explanation of the Martian's abilities. "But, if this guy is there and can metamorph as well, why did you pick me over him?" A small part of him did feel jealous at the thought of someone else possessing the Omnitrix, but a much larger part of him was honestly perplexed.

Azmuth stroked his beard, as if it would assist him in forming the right words. After a brief moment, he finally responded to the boy. "It is a situation similar to the Plumbers. He is too much of a hero, who would never cross certain morals for the greater good. He is a great man, no doubt regarding that, and he is more heroic than most, but he would never do what it truly takes to end an enemy. And I can respect his decision to do so, but that does mean that he cannot be trusted with the Omnitrix." The Galvan glanced to his heir, only to notice his expression had drooped significantly. "The difference between the two of you would best be described as you being much more aware of your action, or inactions, and their consequences. As I told you earlier, Vilgax holds power over quite a few armies and planets, and he is one of the people I would least like to see wearing my creation. However, even if J'onn could end Vilgax with a snap of his fingers, he wouldn't. And that decision may result in Vilgax killing hundreds, if not thousands more. Not only are you aware of what you need to do to protect the Omnitrix, Garfield, but you also have the willpower to do it and know that it was justified. That is why I chose you, and not J'onn." He turned to the green-skinned boy with a slight smile. "And if I had to do it again, I would."

A small sense of pride quickly replaced any fears the boy might have had, as he nervously scratched the back of his head. But before the two could talk further, the spaceship jerked to a halt. The two were able to maintain there balance, but it was a near thing.

"Uh, any idea what's going on?" Azmuth did not reply. Instead, he rushed to the ship's control board, and immediately began a preliminary scan into the immediate surroundings of the ship. Garfield felt very nervous as the ship grew eerily silent. A tiny bit of him, though, seemed to be rearing to go at the aspect of trouble.

Finally, Azmuth found the cause of their prompt stop. A flying creature had halted the spaceship, and now floated in front of the ship. Behind him was a large spaceship, themed like a bat, in which sat three more creatures. A signal was transmitted to the Galvan ship, and the face of a person appeared on the control board. He seemed to be glaring right at them, with a black cowl covering his upper face. "State your identity and your reasons for entering Earth on a spaceship." The man commanded, keeping up his glare. The withering look had no effect whatsoever on the Galvan, and he just stared back at the human. "I am Azmuth The First Thinker, and I am here on urgent personal business with someone on this planet." Inwardly, Azmuth cursed the fact that his workship lacked cloaking technologies of the same level as his travel-oriented spaceship.

"You cannot be allowed to enter here on that basis alone. I will require more information regarding the person you wish to meet." The cowl-wearing man stated calmly, though Azmuth was only half-listening at that point. He had become much more interested in the man floating outside of the ship, the one who wore that ridiculous red cape, and had brought them to a stop. 'A Kryptonian...I had believed they were all extinct by now. His kind is perhaps one of the only few species that I was unable to enter into the Codon Stream. Perhaps this is my chance, but I will need a few moments.'

He quickly tapped his screen, and selected the Kryptonian's heat signature. 'Amazing! His heat signature indicates that he has even spent time under a blue sun! Now, for a quick scan.' He tapped the device, and smiled as a nano sized chip exited the ship's exterior and began to scan the Kryptonian. "My business is with a man called John Jones, if it really matters that much to you. Now, it would be appreciated if you let me through."

Azmuth barely noticed it, but the masked man's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "What business would you have with John Jones, Azmuth?"

The Galvan grit his teeth. He did not want to divulge his true reason for coming here to anyone if it wasn't necessary, but he also felt that if he lied, the man would know. And he may pride himself upon his inventions, but he knew he was no match for a Kryptonian this close to a yellow sun, and neither was Garfield.

"I do not feel perfectly comfortable telling you. It is something of a very private nature. I understand your doubt, but I would like you to realise that I only hope to speak to John. He is an old friend of mine. Had he been here, he could have told you himself."

The man turned silent for a few seconds, and Azmuth maintained a straight look on his face as his nano drones returned to the ship, and uploaded the Kryptonian DNA to the Codon Stream. As that happened, the Kryptonian and the speaker exchanged a quick look and nodded. The speaker seemed to be working on his own control system for a few minutes, before turning back to Azmuth. "We will accept taking you to The Watch Tower, where you will have to wait until we may verify that you are who you say you are."

Azmuth wanted to dismiss this man and his demands entirely, but he felt that would be unnecessary, especially when this cowled man was giving him the benefit of the doubt. "Those terms are agreeable."

The Earth-dwellers then turned their vehicle and began to descend toward the large station that was suspended in space, just at the edge of the Earth's gravitational field. The Kryptonian, however, remained with the Galvan ship, as if waiting for them to follow. Azmuth drove behind the Earthlings, though he did glance over towards Garfield to ensure the boy was okay. "Do not worry, we should soon be with John, once this matter has been resolved." Azmuth told his apprentice. He could tell that the impromptu reception was not done with evil intent, though he was surprised that Earth of all planets had created some form of space security. This particular universe's Earth fell under the protection of the Lanterns, if Azmuth recalled correctly, and not one of the earthlings he had just seen wore any power rings.

'If they aren't Lanterns, I wager they are some sort of Earth-based protective service.' He continued to contemplate how such an organisation might function, while his heir walked up to stand beside him. "So, any idea how that guy is flying in outer space? I may not know much about different alien species, but I do know for sure that isn't normal human behaviour." The boy asked, before jabbing a finger toward the red caped man still flying behind them at a steady speed.

Azmuth chuckled. "He is no human, Garfield. He is a Kryptonian, a race that has gone extinct, for the most part. Their home planet was destroyed, unfortunately, and I do believe that less than a handful of them remain alive, scattered across the universe. And the reason for his flight is his unique genetic structure. All Kryptonians are able to absorb solar energy from most suns, and are able to store that energy in their bodies. He is using that very energy to survive and fly in space at the moment. Their genetics are truly amazing." Garfield was amazed by the explanation, as he watched the Kryptonian. Being superpowered by the literal sun seemed unbelievable. "Can I use the Omnitrix to turn into a Kryptonian, Azmuth?" He asked his teacher eagerly.

Azmuth turned to face him. "The Kryptonians' DNA was actually one of the very few strands that Albedo and I were unable to collect, however, during their little interrogation of us, I was able to scan his DNA for the Codon Stream. The Kryptonian DNA now rests within the Omnitrix, but it is still locked for your use." He added sternly. "A Kryptonian's powers are not to be underestimated, and I would recommend that you train more before you try to transform into one."

The boy deflated slightly, but he wasn't too affected by the decision. His mind was still partially focused on the prospect of the training he would be receiving to become the champion of the watch. Azmuth had taken it upon himself to give Garfield a brief history lesson on the Martians, just so that the boy would not embarrass himself in front of J'onn once they actually met. Mind the fact that the 'brief' lesson had somehow stretched to six straight hours. In the end, Garfield had become even more nervous regarding meeting the Martian. The man had found most of his species exterminated by a virus, before he himself was brought to Earth and then kept there, having lost almost everything from his old home. Azmuth did not give him more details regarding J'onn's personal life, though he did forewarn that the Martian could be a little cold to new acquaintances.

The two ships soon slowed down, with the smaller one which belonged to the Earthlings entering a hatch into the building.

"Uh, how do they plan on having us come in there? Our ship is not gonna make it through that tiny hatch." The boy commented. Azmuth himself did consider the problem briefly, before a large, field began to expand from within the structure. It had a light golden sheen to it, and as it grew larger, it engulfed the ship, forming a protective bubble around it. That solved one problem.

* * *

The two of them were now in a small room, with the man who had identified himself as being 'Batman', sitting opposite of them. To be fair, Azmuth was actually standing upon the table rather than sitting. He was looking over the man, noting how his clothes seemed to be combat-oriented. He wore padded gloves and his suit was made of very strong materials. They weren't indestructible, but they were the sort that could take a good beating. His cape was also made of a similar material from what the Galvan could tell.

Garfield was still feeling mixed about being back where it all started. He was back on his home planet, but then again, there was the other side of the story. 'This is where you slaughtered your uncle and cut him up from head to waist.' A dark, morbid voice within his head would constantly remind him of that fact, causing him to feel a wave of sickness. He wasn't as overwhelmed by guilt as he was merely by the memory of the event. In his fit of rage and fear, along with the shock of waking up on a different planet, he had been able to somehow push all of his experiences with Galtry into the back of his mind. Returning to Earth flung the floodgates open. He also wondered why he had never heard of this organisation that had intercepted the two of them before they could enter Earth. Though he did reason that his time with his _uncle_ had prevented him from keeping up with the modern world considerably.

Batman himself was putting his detective skills to full work as he glanced from the tiny alien to the green-skinned boy. They had introduced themselves as simply 'Azmuth' and 'Garfield' respectively. They had not given any more details regarding who they were or where they came from, only that they needed to see J'onn. A plethora of possibilities had gone through the Dark Knight's mind, including the one where he thought that this Garfield might be a relative of J'onn's. The two had a very similar green complexion. Though no matter what, he had no way of confirming anything before J'onn arrived.

There was a soft knock on the door. Batman rose and went to open it, before leaving the room. He returned in an instant, this time with the Kryptonian, and a Martian whom Azmuth had never been gladder to see. He wore a black latex suit of sorts, which was bare except for the two red bands that wrapped around his torso diagonally, forming a cross over the front. He also had a dark blue cape draped over his shoulders, the hem of which was grazing the floor.

"John, finally. I am sorry for arriving without notification, but I am here with some very important information."

The Martian smiled slightly at the Galvan, but it was enough to shock the observant caped crusader. He knew J'onn to be a very reserved and stoic person. A smile was unexpected.

"Greetings Azmuth. Allow me to welcome you to Earth. We can discuss your information later." He then turned to Garfield. "Would I be correct in assuming it has something to do with young Garfield here?" Azmuth nodded.

The Martian looked over the boy, and his eyes widened as he recognized the Plumbers symbol on the dial of his watch. 'If the Plumbers are involved, then this may be more serious than I think.' The man then gestured to the two other Justice League members. "My colleagues and I would like to know for how long you shall be here, but other than that, you may enter Earth." Batman was about to object, only for J'onn to raise his hand. "I am willing to vouch for the two of them, Batman, and you may hold me accountable in the case that anything goes wrong." Batman and Superman both felt stunned this time, but that surprise was overcome by their trust for their colleague.

"To be honest I am not sure whether we shall be leaving Earth on anything more than a temporary basis. We might have to visit other planets during times of emergency, but the two of us will probably be staying here, permanently. We will have to find some accommodations, but I am not too worried about that."

Batman thanked his well-cultivated patience for helping him remain calm, because he was slowly but surely growing ever so frustrated by the little creature in front of him. This Azmuth had yet to provide any details regarding his purpose on Earth, and he was also being vague in any response he gave to the three League members. The Dark Knight also had yet to ask anything about the little boy that was with the 'Galvan', as J'onn had told him they were called, and that did not sit right with him. He promised to learn more about this before he let the two go anywhere.

J'onn could feel the annoyance and frustration exuding from Bruce, and he also understood him. The human did not know Azmuth as the Martian did, and Bruce had always been more than a little...distrusting of foreign elements. He knew that as a fact from firsthand experience. He knew that both Bruce and Azmuth could be very stubborn at times, but he knew that Azmuth would have to meet the league hallway on this matter.

"Azmuth, I have vouched for you because I know you and your intentions well. But I do ask of you to show my colleagues some trust as well. They are two of the finest men I know, and I trust them both with my life. Whatever you have to discuss with me, you may discuss with them as well, even if only as a show of good spirit?"

Batman and Superman both felt a slight swell of pride at the acknowledgment by the normally stoic and silent Martian, as they turned their eyes to look at the Galvan, waiting for his response.

Garfield felt his heart begin to pound with worry as his mind raced through a number of possibilities. Many of them included the revelation of the fact that the boy had murdered a person from this very planet. His very own uncle. These people might not see it the same way as Azmuth. 'Heck yeah they won't. They will see the monster as the monstrous creature he is.' The voice continued to echo in his head, aggravating him constantly.

Galvan himself was also facing a similar dilemma. He wondered whether they would still be allowed to reside in Earth if the true nature of the Omnitrix was revealed to this 'Justice League', especially since that perpetually glaring man seemed very paranoid. After some contemplation, he finally decided upon coming out with the truth.

"Well, this entire story begins with the device upon young Garfield's wrist," The Galvan began, gesticulating toward said device. "It is an invention of mine. A particularly powerful and dangerous one." He noticed the Batman stiffen slightly at the new information. J'onn also must have noticed it, because he cut in before the human could act. "And why exactly is that watch so powerful, Azmuth?"

"It is an Omnitrix, and it has the ability to turn its wearer into any species in the entire universe. It is a genetic process, and isn't just a disguise. The Omnitrix could turn Garfield into any creature alive, even into a Martian," J'onn was barely able to keep his jaw from falling slack. "Or even a Kryptonian." The Galvan finished, giving Superman a pointed look.

The Kryptonian felt a surge of emotions. He was fascinated by the abilities of the Omnitrix, and he was sure that Bruce was already thinking of ways in which the device could pose a danger, but the final comment caused him to feel...strange. He had grown more or less resigned to the fact that his home planet was destroyed, and he was the last Kryptonian left alive, other than perhaps a couple who had been scattered across the entire universe. But to just learn that there was a person in front of him who could turn into a Kryptonian seemed absurd. It was just confusing, and he only had one immediate response. "Prove it."

Both J'onn and Bruce were alarmed by how stern and straightforward Superman was being, but they did agree with his thought process. They wanted to see if this Omnitrix was truly as dangerous as the Galvan made it out to be. While J'onn did not doubt Azmuth's abilities after having met him previously, this still seemed a bit overwhelming to learn of.

The Galvan remained silent for a few seconds, until he decided that cooperating would be the best option here. After all, these guys couldn't fault him if he told them the truth. "I can prove it, but I think a bit of a larger room might be needed."

Batman nodded, thoroughly interested now. "That can be arranged." He pressed a button near his ear, and whispered something into it which the Galvan could not quite make out. The human then opened the door, and turned back to the Galvan and Garfield. "We have a training room which is unoccupied. That will work."

The Galvan nodded, and hopped down the table. "Come on Garfield. It seems you have a chance to use the Omnitrix much earlier than I had anticipated. I will also need to remove the Master Control Lock temporarily." As Azmuth began to walk to the door confidently, Garfield followed, feeling a little meek. He had no idea how the Galvan did not feel intimidated by the three, imposing League members. He grinned awkwardly as he quickly began to chase after his mentor and Batman, noticing Super and Martian Manhunter close behind them.

As they walked, Garfield took note of the insides of the Watch Tower. It had a very high ceiling, and the corridor was lined with doors at set intervals. They were either empty or sound-proofed very well, for even with his heightened hearing that he had gained a week prior, he could not hear a sound from within. There were glass panels built into the ceiling which allowed light in through them, though there were also electric lights on the walls. 'Maybe for emergency situations, I guess?'

They then turned to face a door which was larger than the ones they had seen up until that point. Batman faced a small interface next to the doorway, and entered a series of information into the screen. He then lowered his face and looked into the screen, turning away once the heavy metallic doors receded into the walls. "This is the training room."

As the small group then entered the room, Garfield came to realise that Batman had a strange definition of the word 'room', because they had just entered a gymnasium large enough to house...well, multiple houses. It was easily a few thousand square feet, with different parts of the gym designed for different purposes. One corner had various weights equipment, whereas the opposite corner was set up with some training dummies. There was also a running track available, and a large area of empty space was in the centre. Garfield followed Batman to the centre, where the entire group stopped and faced him and Azmuth.

"Now, if you would demonstrate please, Azmuth." The request came from the Kryptonian, and Azmuth immediately moved toward the changeling. Garfield got the hint and he lowered his wrist to the Galvan. The Galvan pressed down upon multiple buttons, until the watch called out in Garfield's voice. _"Provide overdrive authorization to activate Master Control."_

"Authorizing activation of Master Control." The watch hummed for a moment. _"Voice __recognised, Azmuth The First Thinker, Code 001. Master Control activated."_

The dial spun around a few times, before falling back into the watch. Garfield watched the entire thing, awed by how cool the process was. "So can I transform now?"

Azmuth nodded. "Yes. Now, with this mode activated, you only need to think about the form you want to shift into. Why don't you try for a Kryptonian?"

Garfield nodded, as he also swallowed back some spit. He suddenly felt the gaze of the rest of the group fall on him, and he felt a sudden burst of nerves fill him up. 'Okay Gar, its a simple process. You've transformed before. Just think of being a Kryptonian, just like Superman over there.' He glanced over to the red-caped alien, who was watching him with a very keen eye, almost expectingly. 'Turn into a Kryptonian, a Kryptonian, a Kryptonian.'

He felt the familiar force of the Omnitrix trigger a transformation, which quickly spread from his arm to the rest of his body. He felt his DNA shifting, in a somewhat similar way to his own transformations, though the last one of those he had gone through had been back in Galtry's house. 'Ignore that. That's all over. Just transform right now.' He focused on his genetics shifting within him. And he then felt a sudden surge of power flow through him. He assumed it was his body absorbing the solar energy that was filtering into the gym through the glass ceiling. He felt his insides warm up, as strength seemed to flow into his very veins. He felt all of senses magnify, as he could suddenly hear the rest of the group breathing. He looked around the room, only to notice that his vision was also leagues better. He looked over his hands, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach. "Why are my hands white? They never turn white, even when I transform into different animals."

The Galvan chose to respond to that query. "All of your animal transformations are affected by the Sakutia you suffered from as a child. The Omnitrix healed all of your DNA damage, but the green pigmentation of their skins remains as an after-effect of the disease. Your alien transformations, however, are free from that effect. As such, you are not green."

Garfield looked over his hands appreciatively. 'I-I am normal again. I'm not a freak.'

As Kal-El watched the boy changed, he couldn't help but gasp. Within less than a second, the boy had transformed. He stood a few inches taller, though he was still as scrawny as he had previously been. However, the most notable change was that the boy's skin had turned a peachy colour, similar to Superman's, and his hair was now a blond - almost golden - colour. The hair was a bit of curveball for the Kryptonian, given that neither he nor Zod had such hair he had assumed dark hair was the usual for his species, but the boy's sharp blue eyes were perfectly the same as him. The boy seemed so similar to him. 'Another Kryptonian...and this one isn't trying to kill me.' He could practically feel the solar energy gathering within the boy, strengthening him as it gathered in him.

He approached the boy, and looked over him. Although he was practically convinced that he was looking at a fellow Kryptonian, he had a sliver of doubt still left within him. He turned to look at Bruce, who was maintaining an emotionless facade himself. "Do you have any Kryptonite on your person?"

Batman moved forward, while pulling a small container out of his utility belt. "Of course I do." He then moved between the two Kryptonians and glanced over to Azmuth one final time for confirmation. He didn't want to have to put Superman out of commission for a few hours merely to expose a lie. And if this was a lie, he hoped Azmuth came out with the truth right now.

The Galvan nodded. "Remain calm, Garfield. Kryptonite is an element which prevents Kryptonians from absorbing any solar energy. If exposed to it for too long, it may even cause radiation poisoning, which can be fatal to Kryptonians." Garfield steeled his nerves, preparing himself for whatever unknown feeling that was about to overcome him.

Bruce pulled open the container, and the effect upon the two aliens was immediate. Garfield keeled over, before dropping to one knee, groaning in pain. Superman was able to bear the exposure for a longer, but he also felt himself grown weak, until he staggered down to the floor. Batman quickly closed the container, and pocketed it away. The exposure hadn't lasted a long time, but he didn't see Superman returning to being normal from that in less than the next half an hour. He turned to the boy, only to notice that he was still turning over from discomfort. He felt a little touch of guilt, before the boy morphed back into his green skinned form.

"Ugh, what was that? That hurt so much..." He groaned, as he pushed himself up from the ground. Batman helped his colleague up as well, noticing that he was regaining some of his colour. "How is Garfield now unaffected by the Kryptonite? He was under Kryptonite mere seconds ago, and even Superman is still recovering." Bruce asked, turning to the Galvan.

"That's because he is no longer in his Kryptonian form. The effects do not transfer over between forms. Injuries may, but an effect that is specific to a certain species is eliminated." Batman nodded, before allowing Clark to stand on his own two feet.

The Martian Manhunter was in deep thought as he considered what he had just seen. 'Azmuth truly has outdone himself this time. This invention could be a true innovation in any form of law enforcement, from the Plumbers to the Lanterns Corps. I am sure that Bruce himself is also considering the possible uses of such a weapon. I can only imagine what could happen if he was able to shift from being a Kryptonian to an Atlantean to a Martian.' The man forced himself to suppress a shudder at the thought. 'I can only imagine the destructive power that watch could be capable of in the wrong hands. I do wonder whether young Garfield would turn into a green or white Martian, however.'

He then spoke up. "That does prove the authenticity of the device, Azmuth. But that does not explain why you are on Earth." The Martian asked, drawing the attention of Bruce and the semi-conscious Superman.

Azmuth turned to J'onn. "That was actually where you enter the picture, J'onn. I wanted you to help me train young Garfield, because I have no doubt that the Omnitrix will draw people who wish to use it for evil causes. As the wielder of the Omnitrix, Garfield will have to protect it from anyone who tries to take the Omnitrix. I may be a great inventor, but I am in no way a fighter. And the first person who came to my mind when I considered who could help teach Garfield how to protect himself and the Omnitrix was you. And with that, I am here."

The three League members grew worried with every word of the Galvan's. Batman stepped forward first. "What sort of threats are we thinking here? And why should such a dangerous weapon be allowed on the planet? It could pose a threat if Garfield ever...falls off board." Batman ended soberly. He did not want to point any fingers, and he was not very willing to blame a young boy who himself was native to Earth. But he would rather stay vigilant and secure, than naive and endangered. And he would maintain that policy, especially when the fate of the entire planet was to be affected.

Azmuth turned to the man. "I am still unaware of what the threats may be. But I feel confident that if J'onn were to help train young Garfield, he could become strong enough to help in the protection of the watch, instead of being a target. And the boy is still an Earthling, and this is his home planet. He should not be taken away from his home."

Batman was not convinced. J'onn was about to step in, only for Clark to beat him to it. "I agree with Azmuth. It would be best to keep Garfield on his home planet. He can be trained by J'onn, and he can grow up here to be one of Earth's strengths rather than a threat or weakness."

Bruce wanted to complain, until he considered who he was talking to. He was not afraid of the Kryptonian, and he would always tell him what he truly thought, with no beating around the bush. But at the moment, he was thinking of how Superman was Clark Kent, the alien who had grown up in Smallville, and had gone on to become one of Earth's finest guardians. And that caused the Dark Knight to reconsider his response.

"If J'onn is willing to train Garfield, then I also have no qualms about him staying here on Earth. I believe the possible benefit here outweighs the possible cost."

Garfield felt a feeling of joy fill him, as the fear that he might not be allowed back on Earth fled from his heart. Azmuth was also pleased that their presence did not cause any considerable conflict for J'onn or Garfield.

The Martian Manhuter stepped forward. "We can discuss the details of training elsewhere, Azmuth. Come, I am sure the two of you are also weary from your travels across space." He said, as he began to walk out of the gym, followed by the green skinned human and the Gavan. Just after they had exited, Superman and Batman also left. While Superman decided to go to the Watch Tower mess hall to get himself a little pick-me-up, Batman headed straight to his office within the Watch Tower. Once he entered, he headed straight to the supercomputer.

'I am willing to trust the two, but I am not willing to trust them blindly. Not just yet.' With those thoughts he proceeded to create two new incognito profiles on the supercomputer.

_Logan, Garfield Mark_

_Wielder Of The Omnitrix_

_Ability To Transform Into Different Species (Terrestrial & Extra Terrestrial)_

_Seen Transformations:_

_Kryptonian_

_Known Weaknesses:_

_Weaknesses of the Transformed Species Until Change In Transformation_

_Threat Rank: B_

_Galvan, Azmuth_

_The First Thinker_

_Inventor of The Omnitrix_

_Extreme Intelligence_

_Known Weaknesses:_

_None_

_Threat Rank: A_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey gals and guys!**

**So, this was a bit of a surprise to me, as I honestly did not think I would be posting yet another chapter until my exams were over. They are still on-going (in fact I have one in under twelve hours, and I also need to go to sleep) but the inspiration for this chapter was just, there. I can probably blame my recent BBRae craze for that. Quick shoutout to Allen Blaster. The White Stick remains one of the best BBRae works I have read, and I loved reading it while it was still in the update process. Those were the days...**

**Don't get me wrong, I love the pairing and always have, but just recently I have been reading some new works, and there is some fantastic stuff there. And for those who aren't too bug on BBRae, don't worry. Just because I love the pairing does not mean it is set in stone for this fic. I still haven't given that any major thought.**

**I do hope you all enjoy this a-little-longer-than-usual chapter (6k words without the A/N, the longest I have published, ever). I just hope I got the personalities of the characters somewhat accurate. But please do not expect another update for at least a couple of weeks. Like I said, my exams are still ongoing, and I have some plans for after those as well. Which do not revolve around ****fan fiction, unfortunately.**

**And I just want to give an honourable mention to Eris, the guest reviewer. I love the support you are giving, and I was somewhat surprised that you knew who'd be training Garfield. Kudos!**

**Now, if you guys have a query which sounds something like: "Wait, why did he do/not do that! It makes so much sense, is he ignoring that?!", I want to clarify that I probably have thought of what you are thinking of, but am purposefully ignoring it, or plan on bringing it up at a later date.**

**Another important thing. I will not have Garfield merely become J'onn's sidekick, as some may fear. And I am certainly not forgetting Kara. She was not mentioned by Superman because she has not yet arrived on Earth by the timeline I have created for this fic.**

**So, if you still do have any questions or remarks, just drop a review or shoot me a PM, and I'll respond when I see it. If you liked it, follow and favourite. Those things really get an author's creative juices flowing.**

**I hope y'all liked this chapter, and I hope you stay safe and healthy. And that is a wrap!**

Peace Out

Kofukuna Shi No Kami


End file.
